Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, December 29, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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samizdat
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Slash vs. BackslashThe slash must not be confused with a backslash ( \ ), which is used in computer programming but not in written English. When a distinction between the two needs to be made, what is the slash sometimes called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 GoGo, a two player board game, originated in China before 2000 BCE, and its popularity has since spread worldwide. Players take turns placing game pieces, or stones, on the vacant intersections of a 19x19 grid. The objective is to control a larger territory than one's opponent, and this is accomplished by surrounding, capturing, and removing the opposing player's stones. The game ends when neither player can increase his territory or reduce his opponent's. How is a player's score calculated? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 WWII: Germans Firebomb the City of London (1940)By the end of the Blitz—Germany's eight-month nighttime bombing campaign in Britain—tens of thousands of people were dead and millions of homes lay in ruins. For about a two-month period, the country faced nightly attacks. One of the worst raids occurred on December 29, when much of London—including such historic landmarks as St. Paul's Cathedral and the Guildhall—was destroyed or damaged by bombs and the fires they started. How many children were evacuated to the countryside during the Blitz? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mary Tyler Moore (1936)Although she began her career as a dancer, Moore's success came from her TV roles, first as the secretary on Richard Diamond, Private Detective and then as Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show. She is best known, however, as the star of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the most popular sitcom of the 1970s and the first show to center on a happily unmarried career woman. Over the years, she has won multiple Emmys and Golden Globes. What film role earned her an Oscar nomination? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 When we got into office, the thing that surprised me most was to find that things were just as bad as we'd been saying they were.John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in the thick of things— Very busy; in the middle of or preoccupied with something or several things. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Cali Fair (2018)The rich cultural identity of Santiago de Cali, Colombia, has been celebrated each year since 1957 at the Cali Fair. The Fair is a major event that draws thousands of local residents and tourists from around the world. There are numerous artisans selling their crafts, street performers, and other forms of entertainment. A Bullfighting Festival is also part of the celebration, and a salsa marathon is one of many dance events held each year. It is said that during Fair time, Cali is the home of the best salsa dancing in the world. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: traineddolphinarium - An aquarium in which dolphins are kept and trained for public entertainment. More... Navy SEAL - A member of the special forces unit for the US Navy who is trained for unconventional warfare on sea, air, and land. More... pergola - Can be described as an arbor formed of growing plants trained over a trellis. More... brain drain - The emigration of highly trained or intelligent people from a country or other place. More... | |